By ERIN GATHERCOAL
Staff Writer
A theme can often make or break a restaurant, but there are times when it does little to nothing to contribute to the overall quality of the place. An example of this would be The Soda Fountain Cafe. While overall the place has good service and food, I was left somewhat confused by the lack of decor contributing to the 1950s diner theme.
Across the street from The Attic in the Clarkesville Square, The Soda Fountain Cafe is a small space full of friendly people. When you enter, you’re greeted and allowed to sit where you please, at the bar or in red vinyl booths.
There are pictures of hot-rod cars and other classic ‘50s icons. The menu is decorated with cartoon poodle skirt girls and Elvis wannabes in leather jackets. Overall, the decor gives a “cutesy” feeling to the place, but it feels very thrown together and somewhat sloppy.
The menu consists of various sandwiches and popular plates. I ordered a chicken salad sandwich. While it tasted good, like the decor, it felt thrown together. The bread was supposed to be toasted but was incredibly flimsy. I don’t know if that’s a result of poor quality bread or a poor quality toaster.
Our waitress was very helpful and checked on us a few times, though when it came time for the check, my friend and I were left sitting and waiting for ten minutes – not realizing that you went up to the register, where the cashier has the tickets. Other than this slight miscommunication, service was great.
While The Soda Fountain Cafe isn’t in its theme as deep as a place like Fender’s Diner, but it offers good quality food for reasonable prices. What more can a college student ask for?